Kodi Streamhub add-on: Should you install it? Is it safe to use?

We take a look at the Kodi streamhub add-on to see if you should install it, how safe it is to use and if there are better alternatives. We’ll also show you how to use Kodi safely and privately when using any add-ons.

Once Kodi is installed, there are two ways of accessing media. The first is to rely wholly on videos and music which are saved locally, but this isn’t ideal for devices with small amounts of storage. The second way is to install additional pieces of software named add-ons. These find links to content which is hosted online, and can be used regardless of which device you’ve installed Kodi on.

One of these add-ons is called Streamhub. This article will explain what Streamhub is and how it works. Although no Kodi add-on is impervious to attack, third-party add-ons like Streamhub are less secure than official ones. We’ll also be shedding some light on the privacy concerns that both official and third-party add-ons share.

There have been a lot of scare stories concerning Kodi in the news recently, but the truth is that Kodi itself is completely legal to use. The reason for this negative attention is that some add-ons have been providing users with access to unlicensed content. To make matters more confusing, each country has its own legislation regarding online streaming. For this reason, it’s crucial that you take some time to research the laws in your country before you use Kodi to stream content.

Comparitech does not condone or encourage any violation of copyright restrictions, including illegal streaming through Kodi. Kodi can be used for many excellent, legal online streaming purposes. Please consider the law, victims, and risks of piracy before downloading or streaming copyrighted material without permission. Always do you own research before accessing any Kodi add-on, stream or repository.

Important: How to use Kodi safely and privately

In the times we live in, the importance of online privacy cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, there is a preconception that people who use a virtual private network (VPN) to anonymize their browsing history and traffic are up to no good. In reality, there are several good reasons why someone, and especially Kodi users, should use a VPN.

One of the most devastating techniques a hacker can use is called a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack. This is where someone intercepts every bit of data between you and the websites you visit, potentially giving them access to everything from your bank account information to your social media login credentials.

How is this relevant to Kodi? Well, all add-ons are vulnerable to hijacking, but third-party add-ons are at higher risk because they were unlikely to have had the same technical validation processes applied during development. Once a Kodi add-on has been hijacked, there’s very little that a malicious third party cannot do with your computer.

Unfortunately hackers aren’t all you have to worry about. Internet service providers (ISP) have been known to intentionally limit the network speeds of their users to prevent them from streaming video online. This can happen even if you’re paying for unlimited download speeds and only streaming officially licensed content.

A good VPN can help with both of these threats. They encrypt all incoming and outgoing data from your computer, which means that anyone examining your traffic will be unable to see what you’re doing. This also means that your ISP won’t be able to automatically tell if you’re streaming video, which protects you from their throttling measures.

We recommend using a VPN named IPVanish. To date, IPVanish has worked with every Kodi add-on we’ve tested, and they don’t keep any logs of your traffic whatsoever. You don’t have to sacrifice privacy for convenience either, as it can even be installed on an Amazon Firestick.

They also own their servers which allows them to provide a stable network with steady speeds. This means that IPVanish can help to prevent buffering issues and let you enjoy Kodi’s content as it was meant to be experienced.

What is the Kodi Streamhub add-on?

The Kodi Streamhub add-on is a third-party plugin that provides access to live TV streams as well as on-demand content. It’s a fairly standard link scraper which finds content hosted on several different streaming sites and delivers them to the user.

There are several large issues with this add-on that prevent us from recommending it. Firstly, the overwhelming majority of its content is unlicensed. The list of providers that this add-on uses cannot be added to, and although there are dozens already included, there isn’t a single legitimate source on offer.

Secondly, some of this add-on’s streams are available to premium members only. To become a premium member, you have to pay the developer a subscription fee. The most obvious flaw here is that there’s no way of knowing what will be done with your credit card information, but that isn’t the only issue. If you’re willing to spend money to stream content, it’d be better to support the company which provides it. This will allow them to continue creating this content and won’t support people who create illegitimate streams.

While Streamhub does have a fairly large social media presence, its creators post very sporadically. They do have a dedicated forum, however some sections of it do not work and for the most part, if the add-on were to be hijacked, you’d most likely have to rely on information from unofficial sources to confirm this.

For the reasons above, we do not recommend that Kodi users install or stream content with Streamhub.

Alternatives to the Streamhub Kodi add-on

Streamhub offers next to nothing to Kodi users who want to stream content legitimately. Instead, these users could benefit from using some of the official add-ons below or in our dedicated article. Some of these are free to use, some require a small subscription, but best of all, all of the content they provide access to is officially licensed.

Vice

If you’re looking for hard-hitting documentaries, the Vice add-on for Kodi has everything you’d ever need. It offers full-length features covering everything from politics to identity to war, and these are neatly organized into playlists for easier viewing.

Kodi’s Vice add-on is free to use and does not require any kind of registration. There’s no add-on settings page, but when watching content, there’s a considerable amount of customization available. You can change the brightness, contrast, and zoom level, and there’s even support for 3D glasses. The audio settings are similarly advanced, with a custom offset feature in case the video lags.

All of the content Vice provides is available in high-definition, and despite this, streams load very quickly with minimal buffering directly from the official Vice website.

The Vice add-on for Kodi can be found in the official Kodi add-on repository.

Twitch

If you’re interesting in gaming or eSports, you’ve probably heard of Twitch. It’s the world’s leading streaming platform with a gaming focus, so it’s only natural that there’d be a Kodi add-on for it.

The Twitch add-on for Kodi allows you to search for a particular game, streamer, or platform and provides both live and on-demand content. It also has a section for non-gaming content, so there’s something for everyone to watch.

One of the major differences between Twitch and other video platforms like YouTube is that Twitch hosts a lot of content that is several hours long. This is something of a double-edged sword. The streams take a little longer to load and aren’t as easily watched on the go, but if you find a streamer you like, they often have a lot more to watch than on YouTube.

You can even block certain games, communities or low resolution streams from appearing in your search results. This allows you to get the best possible experience and even saves you from having to scroll through several pages of results before finding what you’re looking for.

The Twitch add-on for Kodi can be found in the official Kodi add-on repository.

NBC Sports Live Extra

If you’re looking for sporting content, the NBC Sports Live Extra add-on for Kodi has a lot to offer. They cover many different sports including Formula One, golf, and baseball, plus they offer match highlights and featured content such as interviews for free.

There is a catch, however: to watch full games or to see live content, you’ll have to pay for either matches of a subscription fee. Regardless of whether you’re an avid fan or just want to see the cup final, you’re covered.

While some NBC Sports Live Extra coverage is available in multiple countries (Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK), some content is region-locked. You can bypass this by connecting your VPN to an American server, though, so it’s not a huge problem.

The NBC Sports Live Extra add-on can be found in the official Kodi add-on repository.

iPlayer WWW

In the UK, one of the most popular ways to access high-quality live content is by using the BBC iPlayer. It provides a mixture of live TV and radio streams, as well as a selection of on-demand content from all of the BBC’s channels.

All of this content can be accessed from within Kodi using an official add-on named iPlayer WWW. It’s free to use and doesn’t require any kind of registration. However you may be asked if you have a valid TV License. This is a legal requirement to use the iPlayer in the UK and also allows you to watch every other free British TV channel, so it’s not a bad investment.

The iPlayer’s content is region-locked, so if you’re a TV License holder traveling outside of the UK you won’t be able to access iPlayer content without a British IP address. However, if you connect your VPN to a British server, you’ll be provided with one and will be able to browse the iPlayer to your heart’s content.

The iPlayer WWW add-on for Kodi can be found in the official Kodi add-on repository. Click here to read our in-depth iPlayer WWW installation guide.

Overview and privacy concerns

Streamhub is far from the perfect Kodi add-on. While it does provide access to a huge media library, there’s very little licensed content on offer. There’s also no way to add legitimate content providers, so to users looking to stream content officially, Streamhub is all but useless.

Additionally, the fact that the creator of Streamhub accepts subscription fees in exchange for a wider range of unofficial sources is troubling at best. This potentially allows them direct access to your credit card information and even ignoring the risks that come with this, your money would be better spent supporting the people who make the content possible in the first place.

There are a multitude of add-ons for Kodi which provide officially licensed content for you to watch. Many of these are free to use, more reliable, and offer greater functionality than Streamhub so we’re confident you’ll be able to find one that suits your needs better than Streamhub can.